St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1887-12-03
The Old Territorial Executive
Plays a Tune Upon
His Bugle.
He Has Little Faith in the
Success Of the Division
Movement.
The Aberdeen Convention,
Though, Has a Chance to
Effect Something.
He Claims to Be a Citizen of
Dakota and Reviews
Some History.
Special to the Globe.

Special to the Globe.
WASHINGTON, Dec. 2.-Straying into
the great Washington Center market
the day before Thanksgiving to take a
look at the tons of turkeys and acres of
market products tastefully arranged on
the 666 stalls now in successful opera
ton, your correspondent came across
year has directed the construction of
the cold storage and mechanical refrig
Grating improvements now in success
full operation III connection with this
mammoth market, which is admitted to
be the finest retail market in the world.
The ex-governor, though always
agreeable to reporters, has not been in
clined to say much, to be quoted. in re-
gard to Dakota matters, especially the
the division and admission questions,
but to the inquiry as to what he thought
of the vote Oh the division question at
the recent election, and the call recently
issued for a convention of the whole
territory at Aberdeen to consider the
propriety of asking for admission as one
state, the governor said he had been
surprised at the small vote in the whole
territory in favor of division, as he had
supposed that. with the active campaign
carried on by the "We-are-a-State" lead
erS, and the funds secured by the circu
lar assessments sent out to property
holders outside of the territory, and i'll
the absence of any opposition or can
vass being made against the Campbell
statehood movement, number of votes
for division would be cast least equal
to a majority of the votes cast for dele
gate at the last election. The result,
however, so far as the returns had been
published, would seem to indicate that
majority of the people of the whole
territory were
NOT IN ACCORD WITH THE MOVEMENT
to set up state government in the
southern half of the territory, until
some sanction for the movement should
be obtained from congress.
AS to the call for a convention at
Aberdeen, the call seemed to be very
liberal and broad one, which would
leave the convention, when assembled,
free to take any action which seemed to
be the wisest and best for the early adj
mission of the territory into the Union;
and if the members of the convention
when assembled confined their deliber-
atiOnS and acts within the powers dele
gated to the territory by congress, there
was little doubt that their presentation,
whatever it might be, would receive
fair consideration at the coming session
of congress.
Bear in mind" said the governor,
THAT L have never undertaken to in
fiuence the people of Dakota for or
against division as an abstract question.
| withheld my signature to the first bill
which passed the legislative assembly
for constitutional convention for the
reasons that the bill was thrust upon
me within thirty-SiX hours of the end of
the session, with more than 200 other
bills, giving no time to properly con-
slider it and to give my reasons for not
approving it, and because it did not pro-
vide for any representation from the
northern counties, which at that time
paid nearly, or quite, half of the terri
torial taxes. and from which the pro-
posed constitutional convention of the
southern counties would draw its eX-
penSeS, indirectly, from the common
treasury. There were other very seri-
Gus objections to the bill, and many of
voted for it expressed the wish that |
should withhold my signature from it,
while
But TWO MEMBERS OF THE ASSEMBLY
ever called at the executive office to
urge its approval.
The bitter assaults, shortly after the
failure of this bill, which were vigor-
ously inaugurated against the executive
and all who did not join in the move
ment to set up an Independent state Or
ganiZatiOn in the southern counties of
the territory, have eliminated in series
of wrangleS over Dakota matters so dis
gushing to congress and the appointing
powers that the substantial citizens of
the territory have obtained but slight
recognition. If movement for con-
ventiOn similar to the one now called at
Aberdeen, embracing the whole terri
tory, had been inaugurated as the first
step towards securing authority from
congress to organize state government,
Dakota would probably have been much
nearer completed statehood than it is to-
day.
The political situation in the country
can not be ignored, hence, with a di-
vided congress, all movements in the
territory looking to statehood, to be
successful, must necessarily be carried
forward Oh nOn-partisan basis. looking
only to the best interests of the whole
people to be affected by it. and if this
course is pursued at Aberdeen great
good may result to the territory"
''Then, governor, you don't think the
Campbell 'we-are-a-State' movement will
have much show AT this cOngreSS?"
The governor sal d in answer that he
did not like to characterize the division
movement as Campbell movement,
since there were many of the very best
neODle in the southern norton of the
territory in favor of division who re-
GREETED very much that the movement
had fallen under the leading strings of
some who had managed to keep them
selves at the head of it. In fact, it was
the height of folly to put before certain
Southern members and senators move
ment for statehood with the
NEW ORLEANS MILITIA BRIG Adler GEN
ERAL
at its head, and especially when the
United States senate is so close that the
detection of two or three members on
either side will defeat any political
measure.
''You don't seem to harbor any great
animoSity, governor, against some of
your traducerS in Dakota?"
NO; life is not long enough to under
take to give blow for blow for the as
Saults which a public officer, especially
what is called 'carpet-bag' governor, is
bound to receive during four years of
rapid settlement, and which a. newspa-
per press scattered in the new towns
over, a territory 400 miles square) is
bound to circulate as readable news"
The governor added that his answer to
these assaults was made before the
board of examiners sent out to Dakota
by the department of Justice, at his re-